Luigi Deleidi

Donizetti and friends, 1840, now in the Museo Donizettiano in Bergamo. From left:
Luigi Bettinelli [it], Donizetti, Dolci (?),
Simon Mayr and Deleidi

Luigi Deleidi (15 November 1784, Bergamo - 2 September 1853, Bergamo)[1] was an Italian Pre-Romantic painter; primarily of landscapes and vedute. He was often referred to by his nickname, "Il Nebbia" (The Fog).

Biography

He was born to an artistically inclined family. His mother was the daughter of Pietro Antonio Gualdi (1716-c.1784), a well-known local painter of religious works, and his brother Marco (1780-1843) also became a painter, although none of his works have been positively identified. [1] After displaying an ability to draw at an early age, Luigi was sent to the "Scuola di Pittura e Scenografia" in Milan, where he studied with Alessandro Sanquirico.[2] He may have visited Rome at this time, and returned to Bergamo in 1825.

Many members of the local nobility commissioned him to do frescoes at their villas, and he obtained many similar commissions during a stay in Rome from 1837 to 1842. Notable among these are the frescoes at the Castello di Calepio [it] and the Castello di Costa di Mezzate [it], both belonging to the Vertova family. He is also credited with decorations at a building owned by the Torlonia family, identified as either the Villa Torlonia at Castel Gandolfo, or the Palazzo Torlonia.[1] If the latter, he probably worked together with his friend, Coghetti. He also decorated several theaters and participated in the production design.[2]